The next time you hear some judgmental jerk getting down on single moms, here's a tip. Ask them the last time they parented a presidential candidate. Michele Bachmann's mom did. Even more impressive may be the fact that Jean Amble did it despite six years without a husband to help her navigate the notoriously difficult teen years.

When CafeMom showed up in Iowa this past weekend for the Republican candidates' Thanksgiving Family Forum, we got a look at just what a single mother contributes to American society: a woman who knows what it's like to get her first job at 13 to help support her family. And for that, Michele Bachmann isn't bitter. She's thankful. Take that single mom bashers!

It's no secret that I'm nofanofthecandidate. But I can disagree with someone and still respect the obstacles they've hurdled, and their sheer tenacity. It takes something special to come from nothing and land yourself on a national stage. It takes something to admit, in front of a national audience, that you were a teenage girl earning 50 cents an hour as a babysitter just to help your mom feed you and your brothers. Take a look:

Her words certainly drive a stake into the heart of the argument that life with a single parent ruins a kid's chance at success, doesn't it? It sound like Bachmann's mom used their struggles the way a best parent does -- as a springboard to teach her kids lessons that apply to real life.

This is the story of a lot of single moms. Despite the fact that 78 percent of them have jobs (ahem, another stereotype killed), 41 percent are living at or below the poverty line. They're struggling. And yet, the three things single moms say they're most willing to give up in exchange for spending quality time with their kids are sleep, time for themselves, and getting chores done. These ladies put their kids first, and the result is ... well, it's seeing the kid who had to help you put food on the table at the dais at a presidential candidates forum.

Say what you will about Michele Bachmann, but her mom did one heckuva job with what she had, don't you think?